Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Toronto Raptors signed Mickael Pietrus early in the season to get an offensive boost for their injury depleted roster. Since then, he has only played 18 games, averaging less than 6 points per contest in 21 minutes of play. He's been out since January 11th with a knee injury and there is no scheduled time for his return. It's alright though, if he keeps interrupting broadcasts with his hypnotic dance moves, he can stay out for as long as he likes. Props to the Raptor's color commentators for remaining professional as some weird French guy sticks his face between your game preview. Takes a lot of self-control to not burst into laughter, I would have exploded on the spot (not literally, you guys).

On Tuesday night, a brawl broke out between the members of Indiana Pacers and the Golden State Warriors at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The fight was first initiated by a shove from David Lee, which led to a retaliation from Roy Hibbert, who took all on coming attacks with ease, throwing one of Lee's teammates, Stephen Curry out of his way. The incident resulted in suspensions for Hibbert and Lee, while Curry, Thompson and Stephenson were fined $35,000 each for getting involved.

Seeing Stephen Curry tossed around like a human-sized stuff toy, Mike Tyson thought he would offer some advice for the Golden State point guard that will help him in future altercations with bigger dudes. As a smaller boxer that took taller guys in the ring for the majority of his career, Mike knows a thing or two about handling these situations. But I don't think the going full Tyson mode will help Curry. You see, that sandbag is no where near the height of the 7 foot 2 Roy Hibbert, Steph will never get close enough to try out your technique. And I am pretty sure, he would like to keep playing basketball, instead of throwing away a bright career by ripping a man's ears off. Just a hunch.

Any Javale McGee moment in the NBA is the best moment. Somethings just never change, he might have left the Washington Wizards, but its team spirit will always be with him. You would think that by his 7th season in the league, he would start trying to keep blocked shot in bounds for his teammates to grab, but nope. If it flies, Javale is smacking it into the stands and unfortunately for Corey Brewer, who just so happened to be in the way, caught the basketball at the wrong time. Poor guy, I can't imagine what it is like putting up with him everyday. At least there will never be a dull moment.

I guess knuckle-headedness spreads beyond the Washington Wizards basketball team. In their defense, I thought the shot was good too, but they should have picked it up as soon as the Detroit Pistons threw up their emphatic fist pumps. Some fans looked like they thought it went in as well, but they won't be too crushed to know that it didn't fall. They ARE cheering for the Wizards after all. Disappointment is the norm for them. (I kid, the Wiz have be great since John Wall's return, they are about 2-3 pieces and a good coach short from playoff contending.)

Bright Lights: Without their All-Star big man, David Lee (suspension), the Golden State Warriors headed into the Madison Square Garden to face off against the New York Knicks for a night that they will never forget. Carmelo Anthony had a team-high 35 points (10 of 26) and 8 assists. Tyson Chandler chipped in for 16 points and a career high 28 rebounds. Despite the outcome, which favored the Knicks, the spotlight was on Stephen Curry all night, as the Golden State point guard goes off for a career high 54 points on 18 of 28 shooting, 11 of 13 from three, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. If only he got some help from his teammates.

Wild Charge: The Houston Rockets took an early 20-4 lead against the Milwaukee Bucks, who returned with a 29-16 run to make this into a game. James Harden had 25 points (8 of 18), 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Omer Asik added 16 points and 22 rebounds. Tied with 6 seconds left on the clock, Monta Ellis hits an off balance three to win the game for the Bucks. The shooting guard finished with 27 points on 24 shots, 6 rebounds, 13 assists and 6 steals.

Burning Upset: The Phoenix Suns, the worst team in the west, took down the mighty San Antonio Spurs in overtime. Walking fossil, Jermaine O'neal led the way with 22 points (8 of 14) and 13 rebounds. While the Spurs' Tim Duncan goes for 19 points (6 of 15) and 11 boards to become the 11th player in NBA history to have 20,000 points and 13,000 rebounds. Tony Parker added 22 points on 20 shots and dished out 8 assists. The Suns down 3, with less than 4 seconds remaining found a wide open Wes Johnson for three to force overtime, where the Phoenix would outscore the Spurs 5 to 1.

Don't Call it a Comeback: The Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 25 point deficit in the second half for the win against the Dallas Mavericks. After giving up 38 points in just the first quarter to their opponents, the Grizzlies held the Mavs to only 5 points in the third quarter, while they go on a 24-0 run to get back into the game. Zach Randolph got 22 points and 10 rebounds. His front court mate, Marc Gasol dropped 21 points and snagged 12 boards. Dirk Nowitzski had only 10 points, but it was enough for him to pass Larry Bird for the 21st all-time in Field Goals Made.

After starting 1 of 15 from the field, the Cleveland Cavaliers fought back from a 14 point lead by making 20 of their next 31 shots. In the absence of Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters stepped up again for 23 points (7 of 16), and 6 assists. Toronto made a 9-0 run late in this game, but the effort was just a step behind as they fall to the Cavs. DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 34 points on 10 of 19 shooting.

Fantasy Shoutouts: Brandon Knight went off for a career high 32 points on 11 of 18 shooting (5 of 6 from three), and 4 assists. His teammate, Jose Calderon had only 6 points, but he dished out 18 assists in the Detroit Piston's win over the Washington Wizards.

Al Horford had his way against the giants of the Utah Jazz, the Florida product got 34 points (14 of 22), and 15 boards. Josh Smith added 24 points (9 of 19), 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. Al Jefferson of the Jazz scored a team-high 26 points (12 of 22) and grabbed 11 rebounds in the loss.

For the first time in his career, Russell Westbrook shot 50 percent from the field in a month (February). The explosive point guard finished with 29 points on 8 of 17 shooting, while his buddy, Kevin Durant messed around and got a triple double in 27 minutes of play. KD had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 dimes in the 45 point blowout victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

The game between Denver and Portland went down to the wire, with the fate of the Blazers on LaMarcus Aldridge, who just missed the basket in the final seconds to tie things up. He had 22 points on 24 shots and 5 rebounds. Rookie, Damian Lillard got 26 points (8 of 14) and 4 assists. For Denver, Andre Iguodala went for 29 points on 11 of 20 shooting, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals. Ty Lawson chipped in for 30 points on 12 of 22 shooting.

Highlights

Real Fancy: Tyreke Evans threw an incredible no look pass and it didn't get picked off.

On the biggest stage of basketball, Stephen Curry goes off for a career high 54 points (18 of 28), 11 of 13 from beyond the arc, 7 assists and 6 rebounds in the 4 point loss to the New York Knicks. He is the only player in NBA history to score 50 plus points on 10 plus made threes. Even though the Warriors did not get the result they would have liked, Curry made a huge statement in the Mecca, becoming one of the few players that breaks out in the blinding lights of New York City to prove that he is worthy of All-Star nods and is primed to be something special in this league.

In a midst of the chaos, Steph completely ignored a welcoming high-five from his rookie teammate, Draymond Green. But understand this, Dray went for the shooting hand, which is a classic rookie mistake. You never touch the hot hand. Don't give me that "I can't believe he did me like this" face. It's your fault. I don't feel sorry for you at all.

When you are a rookie in one of the best teams in the league, you are not given many opportunities to fight for minutes or a role in one of the regular rotations. Besides practice, the only place to show off your game to the coach, is in garbage minutes of a blow out game. Once the rookies are dressed, they have to be ready to impress. But sometimes things go awry. In OKC's 45 point win over the Hornets, Perry Jones III did what no rookie would want to do in the situation described above, accidentally scoring 2 points for the opposing team. Which will definitely not get him more minutes. I am sure the Hornets didn't mind though, I mean they could use all the points they can get.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

It was a long game, the Kings took the defending champs, Heat all the way to double overtime in hopes to come out of Miami with a win, but then LeBron James happened and the Kings were sent off on the road with another loss. Tyreke Evans wanted to play until the time expired, so he went ahead and stole the basketball from Dwyane Wade in the final seconds at an attempt decrease the deficit. Unfortunately for him, he would blow the wide open lay up and make a fool out of himself. Let this be a lesson to you, leave the late game trolling to the veterans, they are the "experienced" ones.

Usually, when a couple that is about to embark on a new journey together, they will start stressing out over every little detail in their wedding. At least that is what I have perceived from the movies. (Don't ever watch Bride Wars at the request anybody, please don't, it's not worth the urge to constantly stab yourself in the eyes.) But the Curry's are not your traditional couple, they like to have fun together and take silly photos.

SOON.

Sleep tight, you guys. And no, they are not under-aged, even though it is really hard to convince you that Steph is older than 13 in the above photo. That face is not helping my case one bit.

Earlier this week, Deadspin uncovered a Twitter direct message conversation between New York Knicks shooting guard, J.R. Smith and a female high school senior that took place a month ago. Needless to say, J.R. took a very direct approach with the girl, asking her if she was trying to get the "pipe," seconds into the text exchange. Since the release of the story, J.R. has been making fun off himself through instagram and made #YouTryinToGetThePipe into an actual thing on Twitter. With everyone's interest at high, J.R., at the request of no one made a list of "rules" to follow, if you wish to date and keep an athlete.

Yep, definitely more of an in-game dunker. I see how it is, LeBron. It's totally cool that you are holding back for your fans, because the last time you let everyone down, it worked out great for you. If memory serves correctly, you didn't become the enemy of an entire state and none of your jerseys were ever lit on fire. Nobody handles the pressure of the public better than you, Bron. Just keep testing our patience.

Late to the Throne: To everyone's surprise, the Sacramento Kings took the reigning NBA Champions, Miami Heat, to a thrilling double overtime before heading on the road with the inevitable loss. DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with his 26th double-double of the season, grabbing 15 boards and scoring 24 points (10 of 17), 2 of which, forced the first overtime. Marcus Thornton exploded off the bench for 36 points, on 8 of 12 shooting from beyond the arc, and 3 assists. In the second overtime, LeBron James went full super hero mode, going off for 11 of Heat's 17 points in the extended period to finish with a total of 40 points (14 of 23), 8 rebounds, and a career-high 16 assists. Becoming the first player in NBA history since Kareem in 1983 to shoot at least 64 percent (minimum of 200 shots) from the field in a calender month. Dwyane Wade added 39 points on 19 of 28 shooting, 8 rebounds and 7 dimes.

Chippy: Things got a little out of hand down at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana when the Golden State Warriors came to visit. Stephen Curry went off for 23 of his game-high 38 points in the first half. He shot 14 of 20 from the field and missed only 3 of his 10 attempts from the three. Despite the big game from their point guard, the Warriors would come up short in the end due to a lack of production from other players. Indiana's David West had 28 points (12 of 16) and 7 rebounds. Paul George chipped in for 21 points (9 of 17) and 11 boards.

Brawl: Because of course, David Lee, Roy Hibbert and Stephen Curry are the toughest dudes in the league.

Broken Horns: The Cleveland Cavaliers snapped their 11 game losing streak to the Chicago Bulls in the 101-98 win. The Cavs, without Kyrie Trving, depended on Dion Waiters's 25 points (10 of 16) and Shaun Livingston's 15 points (6 of 11). Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng of the Bulls combined for over half of Chicago's points with 53 total, unfortunately no one else but Kirk Hinrich on the team scored in double figures to be of any help.

Slow Motion: Despite not having a single fast break point last night against the New Orleans Hornets, the Brooklyn Nets still left New Orleans Arena with the W. Deron Williams got a game-high 33 points (10 of 21) and 8 assists, while Brook Lopez goes for 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The Hornets didn't do that well in the fast break points column either, scoring only 9 points in transition. Greivis Vazquez had 20 points on 20 shots, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in his team's third loss in four games.German Monster: Dirk Nowitzski has returned to form as of late, he had 21 points (8 of 16), and 20 rebounds in the loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks, who shot a horrendous 6 of 21 in the first quarter, turned it up in the remaining periods to finish with a game-low 42 percent from the field. Monta Ellis led the charge with 22 points on an inefficient (as usual) 8 of 17 shooting, 9 assists and 6 steals.

Pain and Sorrow: Please take a moment now and honor the efforts of these teams. I will be thinking about you guys when I break down into tears, watching the last episode of Boy Meets World. The Bobcats put up a valiant effort in the 22 point loss to the LA Clippers. Gerald Henderson and Blake Griffin both led their respective teams with 24 points each. Don't forget about the Sixers, as they fall to the Orlando Magic by 14 points. And the Timberwolves, who were once promising, but has taken a step back with an injury riddled roster in their loss to the Phoenix Suns, the worst team in the west.

Fancy: Ricky Rubio is not he only one that can spice up their passes.

Highlights

Hang Time: Still unfair.

Lob City: The Clippers has removed all the just about every magical aspect about the alley-oop. This was not what the Flint Tropics envisioned when they created the play.

It's not often Stephen Curry is on the other side of one's ankle woes, in fact the Warriors point guard has dealt his fair share of ankle injuries in the past, but this time, the tables have turned, now he is the one inflicting damage to to those who did not invest in ankle insurance as advised by Kobe. Poor George Hill didn't even know what was coming.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

He didn't actually play "Jesus," his character was named Jesus, but I made him look like one anyway.

Ray Allen is in his 19th and possibly last NBA season, while most of us will forever remember his illustrious career on the day he gives up his jersey, some of us will also remember what he did on the silver screen. Believe it or not, Ray once starred in a Spike Lee Joint called "He Got Game" in 1998 along side Denzel Washington. The future Hall of Famer played the character of "Jesus Shuttlesworth," who was a highly recruited high school basketball star dealing with the struggles of choosing the right college. Since the release of the movie, the name of his character has always stuck with Ray and his Heat teammates still call him by his character to this day.

Is there a better way to start your morning than watching the Toronto Raptors get into the incredibly popular Harlem Shake dance craze? If you answer, yes, we can't be friends. I actually don't hate this internet phenomenon. Sure, it is the same thing every time and no one ever really does anything crazy, but for some unknown reason, I can't stop myself from watching these videos. I may or may not have a problem, at least this latest trend, doesn't get on the radio every 30 minutes and doesn't suddenly appear in a Super Bowl ad, to sell pistachios. Yea, I am talking to you, PSY.

Under-appreciated: It is about time that Al Horford gets some love. He has been solid all season for the Hawks, and is averaging a career high in just about every statistical category. The Florida product went off for 23 points on 10 of 13 shooting, a career high 22 rebounds to go along with his gigantic ears in the win against the Detroit Pistons. Josh Smith chipped in for another 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. For the Pistons, Rodney Stuckey, who has struggled all season in a misplaced role, got 22 points (10 of 17) and 5 rebounds. Jonas Jerebko came off the bench for 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting and 6 boards.

Retina Damage: It was all sorts of ugly down at the Air Canada Center, as the Washington Wizards took on the Toronto Raptors for the second time of the season. If you tuned in, you would have caught a night of horrendous shooting and glorious misplays from both teams. The Wizards shot a vomit inducing 42 percent from the field, while the Raptors shot an even worst 37 percent. There were a total of 34 turnovers in this game, and only 2 Raptors scored in the double digits. DeMar DeRozan had a game-high 25 points on 9 of 17 shooting, and 4 rebounds. Kyle Lowry added 18 points on 17 shots and if you were wondering about Rudy Gay, well, he shot a career low 1 of 10 from the field for 7 points, not the most efficient night for the swing man. The rookie, Bradley Beal of the Wiz led his team with 20 points (8 of 13) and 6 rebounds in Washington's 3rd straight victory.

Truth: The Boston Celtics maybe old and riddled with injuries, but they will always find a way to fight back. After allowing Alec Burks of the Utah Jazz to tie the game in the closing seconds to force overtime, Paul Pierce goes off for 7 straight points (a solo 7-0 run) to give Boston the win. Avery Bradley brought more than just his defense last night, helping himself to 18 points (8 of 12) and 5 rebounds in Salt Lake City. Gordon Hayward led the second unit with 26 points (7 of 16) in Utah's 4th loss in their last 5 home games, which is rare.

NBA JAM: Just when you thought the Lakers were starting to get back on track, they go ahead and lose to the Denver Nuggets. The score might say 119 to 108 in favor to the Nuggets, but it was certainly not all that close. Denver had their way on offense for the entire game. To put this into a perspective for those of you that missed the game, imagine if you were playing NBA JAM against someone who has never played before and you were able to keep one of your players "on fire" for the whole game because your opponent can't stop you. It was kind of like that. Denver scored 78 points in the PAINT and a season high 33 fast break points. Wilson Chandler stepped up in place of the injured Danilo Gallinari, going for 23 points on 10 of 18 shooting. Ty Lawson had 22 points (8 of 19) and 8 assists. Kobe did kobe things at the Pepsi Center, he scored 29 points (12 of 23), snagged 6 rebounds, and dished out 9 dimes to go with his clenched jaw.

The Lakers are not going to have a fun time watching any footage from this game in their next film session. But they don't really need to watch it, as with all their games, it comes down to defense, which they still don't know how to play.

The basket didn't count, as it was after the play, but this is all sorts of amazing. Can't believe he got robbed in the dunk contest twice. The Raptors don't win much, even the littlest of awards mean a lot to this franchise. So don't take it away from them.

Monday, February 25, 2013

There is a short list of NBA players that don't abide to the unwritten rule of given nicknames. Kobe Bryant is infamously one of them, calling himself the "Black Mamba" without anyone actually ever calling him it, prior to the name's existence. There is obviously Shaq, who has thousands of nicknames with unknown origins. And now we can add his former teammate, Dwyane Wade to that list.

The Celtics didn't want to change Rondo when he arrived, but they didn't want to him either. So at charity foundations he perched behind a folding table where he could avoid the back-slapping, baby-hugging and other standard forms of celebrity fakery. He just played Connect Four, against anybody who dared, usually two grids at a time and sometimes three. "This has been going on for six years," Matt Meyersohn, the Celtics' director of community relations, said on Dec. 22 during an event at the Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club in Dorchester, Mass. "He's played hundreds of Connect Four games, maybe a thousand. And he's never lost."

Later that day Rondo sat behind a table and three girls. Across from him there were more than 100 children he had showered with bikes, Razor scooters and iPod Touches that he bought at Target and distributed from the back of a U-Haul. "I thought he might let us win," said a 12 year-old named Olissa. "But he was so serious."

[...]

Olissa was the last challenger. He stared back at Rondo through wire-rimmed glasses. He clenched teeth covered with braces. He initiated what he called a trap, forcing Rondo to the right side of the grid, putting him on the defensive. When Olissa dropped the winning disk, Celtics officials started to shout. Meyerson grabbed the microphone. "This has never happened!" he bellowed.

[...]

"I can't believe it," [Rondo] said. "But did you notice I played the guy five more times and won them all? I had to show him, 'You beat me, I'll beat the s*** out of you.'"

Note to self, never hire Rajon Rondo as a babysitter. Coming home to crushed souls, Rondo-inspired attitude and defeated spirits is not ideal. Not to mention those freakishly huge hands would be more scary than useful with the kids, I mean you can't possibly build Legos with those fingers.

The Dallas Mavericks' video team has been on a roll lately, but I am not too sure, how I feel about this one. You can watch the original ad here, it is nothing different. You just get the kids' real heads instead of Maverick faces. The video team totally whiffed this one though, they got it all wrong when they put Darren Collison in bear wrestling. We all know that is a thing Chris Kaman would totally do. He is the huntsman of the group. Seriously, go check out his twitter account, it is literally riddled with dead animals and guns (NSFW or weak stomachs). Strange dude.

First things first, the internet is overreacting. This is a good dunk, but it is at best, a first round 50. Correct me if I am wrong, I do recall Nate Robinson doing a similar dunk in one of his three dunk contests, where he went between both his legs (sort of like a figure 8) passed it off the backboard and dunked it. If I am right, this is even less impressive, considering he has a whole foot on Nate. Put a windmill at the end of it and then we can talk (about why you won't do the dunk contest, like every one else and would rather torture the fan with teases). And second, stop doing these dunks if you want out of the conversation of the contest. This kind of trolling is not fun.

This is incredible. That is all cake. ALL. CAKE. How is this even possible? How do you turn flour into this? I don't understand. The details are insane. The Jumpman logo, speckles on the Air Jordan V's, back pattern of the trading cards and the display of Rip Hamilton's hair loss at different career stages are scary accurate. For those of you who still dare to argue about the supremacy of cake over pies, this ends all competitions. Game over, pies. I wonder how Rip went about eating his cake though, where do you start? Hopefully, no one decided it was funny to smash this piece of pastry art onto his face, and if they did, I hope he was wearing his mask.

Earlier this month, USA Today reported that Derrick Rose would not comeback until he felt he was 110 percent ready. Which meant he would be completely fine with missing the rest of the season to recover from the torn ACL he suffered last season, in the first round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, if it is necessary. It has been 9 months since the injury and there haven't been any major hiccups on his road to recovery. He is already participating in full contact practices and apparently dunking for weeks now. This is the first footage of him actually doing so, of course he is still favoring his good leg, but it's a step forward.

Let's all hope Derrick Rose a perfect recovery, and that he returns to this form soon.

This version of D.Rose is the best. Getting a little bit giddy over here, especially at the thought of the end of those awful Adidas commercials. Take them off the air, please.

Back on Track: Kobe was 2 of 37 from beyond the arc coming into this game, but it seems the Black Mamba has forgotten all about it as he goes off for 38 points (13 of 21), 4 of 5 from the three, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists in the victory over the Dallas Mavericks. 14 of his points came in the 4th quarter where Kobe went for a perfect 5 of 5 from outside the paint and also finished with a career 31,000 points, becoming the only 5th player in NBA history to do so. Dirk countered with his best performance of the season, going for his first double-double of the 2013 with 30 points on 11 of 19 shooting (4 of 4 from three), and 13 boards. His former teammate, Steve Nash, showed signs of life in the Lakers' third straight win after the All-Star break, scoring 20 points and handing out 4 assists.

Nice Try: The Cleveland Cavaliers, trailing by 18 points in the half to the Miami Heat, came back from the break to take the lead in the third, thanks to C.J. Miles's solo 11-0 run. But in typical Cleveland fashion, they would fail to hold on to their lead and watch the Heat get away with the win. LeBron James led the way with 28 points on 10 of 19 shooting, and 8 dimes. Dwayne Wade added, 24 points (11 of 22), 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Rookie, Dion Waiters of the Cavs had a team-high 26 points on a surprisingly efficient 11 of 17 shots.

Goggles: The New York Knicks holds off the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in the win. Despite shooting 6 of 18 from the field, Carmelo Anthony finished with 29 points and 7 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire came off the bench for a near perfect game. Going off for 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting and 5 rebounds. Stat has been great at adjusting to his new second unit role, and is slowly dissolving the worries that Knicks fans once had with consistent play. For the Sixers, bad news continue to surface. According to coach Doug Collins, Andrew Bynum is still far way from being 100 percent. On the bright side, their All-Star, Jrue Holiday had 30 points (12 of 24), 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Running Engine: The Portland Trail Blazers snapped their 7 game losing streak in the victory against the Boston Celtics. This game was close from the very beginning, but Wesley Matthew's 24 points (8 of 11) and late game threes sealed the game for Portland. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett combined for 46 of Boston's total 86 points in the loss.

Off Target: Every member of the Chicago Bulls might need prescription glasses after this 29 percent shooting performance (the lowest field goal percentage of the season) in the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. The Bulls were absolutely horrendous in this game, and was out of it by the first half. Kevin Durant got 19 points on 19 shots and 16 rebounds. While Russell Westbrook scored 23 points on 10 of 17 shooting and punished Chicago with dunks.

Highlights

Fancy: Ricky Rubio's passes are still out of the this world ordinary. I don't think he can actually pull off a normal chest pass.

Skates: The Bean still got some moves.

Off The Board: Marshon Brooks passes to himself against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Not sure it was the greatest idea for Will Bynum, who is approximately 4 foot and a half to pick a fight with a guy that is twice his height and is nicknamed "Psycho T." I don't doubt that Tyler Hansbrough deserved what was coming to him, as he is known for being an irritant and an occasional cheap shot thrower. But Will has to get better at choosing his fights. He has no chance against that psychopath and it is not worth it in a back to back blow out loss. The Palace doesn't need it, your wallet doesn't need it.

More Blowouts: In a 7 game scheduled Saturday, 4 games turned out to be blowouts. The Miami Heat improves to 10-1 in the month of February, in the win over the Philadelphia 76ers. LeBron James, despite scoring only 5 point in the first half, would come out the second to finish with a triple double of 16 points (7 of 12), 10 rebounds and 11 assists. This is only LeBron's second sub 20 point game of the season, and he got triple doubles in both of them . In the place of his NBA debut, Dwyane Wade scores his career 16,000th point in Philly to go with his 33 points (14 of 18) and 6 rebounds. Jrue Holiday of the Sixers led the way with 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

FROLO: Andrew Bynum's hair will never cease to amuse us all (Via: @noamschiller).

After defeating the Pistons by 32 points on Friday night, the Indiana Pacers followed their performance with a 22 point win against Detroit in the back to back rematch. The Pistons were held under double digits until 2 minutes into the second quarter, as the Pacers extends their winning streak to 4. Danny Granger returned from his knee injury for his first game of the season. The Indiana swing man shot 1 of 10 for 2 points in 19 minutes of play.

In the showdown between two of the worst teams in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Orlando Magic 118 to 94. Marreese Speights scored a game high 18 points on 4 of 8 shots and grabbed 8 boards. The Magic coughed up 15 turnovers that paved way for 21 of their opponents's points.

The Denver Nuggets snapped their 4 game road losing streak with the win in Charlotte. Ty Lawson had 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while Kemba Walker led all Bobcats with 24 points on 9 of 14 shooting and 5 assists.

Transition Monster: Andre Miller will never throw a bad pass.

Don't Call it a Comeback: The Washington Wizards over came a 17 point deficit to defeat the Houston Rockets. Rookie, Bradley Beal went off for 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. James Harden got 27 points (10 of 23), and 6 dimes. The Rockets were once again close to breaking another 3 point record, they had 19 threes in the loss, which is just one short from the 20 threes, the Nuggets had last season in their loss.

Band of Feathers: Down 1 with 10 seconds left to go, Al Horford backs Larry Sanders into the post to hit the game winner against the Milwaukee Bucks. Horford finished with 23 points (11 of 22) and 11 boards for the Hawks. Jeff Teague added another 23 points and 9 assists. For Milwaukee, Ersan Illyasova scored a team high 19 points (9 of 15) and snagged 9 rebounds.

Salt Lake Ruins: Paul Millsap got off to an early start, going for 15 of his total 19 points in the first. Three of the Jazz starters, failed to register a single point, combining for 0-9 from the field. Caron Butler of the Clippers had 21 points on 7 of 13 shooting. Blake Griffin chipped in for 18 points and 7 rebounds in the victory.Highlights

Mullet Bro: Spencer Hawes use all 2 inches of his vertical to block LeBron James.

This is insane. He jumped from a good 7 feet in the paint (meaning there is about 8 more feet to travel), hung in the air long enough to go up, pull back, stiff arm Paul Millsap and go under to finish the lay up just before landing. How are we the same species? I can pull off a 360-through-the-legs dunk on my 7 foot nerf hoop, but I don't think I can even re-enact that without landing on my face. Life is unfair.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Thursday night, was not only San Antonio Spurs' 26 point victory statement to the rest of the league, it was also the first communication complication between two best friends. Blake and DeAndre are the closest as teammates could get. These two know everything about each other. There are even sufficient scientific evidence to prove that their hearts share the same beat. For something this awkward to happen between these brothers from different mothers, there must have been an off-set in their chemistry. Maybe it was just a 17 point lead given to their opponent, or it could be just a tribute to one of the greatest moments in NBA history. Where Kevin Love and Wesley Johnson will be forever immortalized for never completing their handshake. Which also happened earlier in the season to the duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Must be some sort of new NBA protocol to test friendships. Curses, David Stern.

To say that this season for the Phoenix Suns has been nothing but utter disappointment is an understatement. They are the worst team in the West. Their roster does not make the slightest sense. And the worst part of it all, is that there are no noticeable pieces on this team that other teams would be interested to trade for. When they first signed Michael Beasley, they thought the former number 2 pick would be able to thrive in a system as the go to scorer. So far, that experiment has not worked out for them. Beasley is averaging a career low in just about every single category. There are no more "potentials" to live up to anymore, this is who he is and it won't get any better. You would think Lindsey Hunter would know better by now, but 56 games into the season and he is still in disbelief that Supercool Beas would throw up an air ball in a 25 point loss.

Controversial: The battle between the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers came down to the wire with some controversial calls/no-calls. Down 4 with less than 13 seconds on the clock, the Blazers in bounds the ball to Nic Batum, who hits the jumper in the corner to cut the lead. The controversy was over whether Batum's shot was a three or a two. You can decide below.

As you can see, it seemed pretty clear it was worth three points. No matter, the Blazers still had a chance to tie this game up via the foul game. Unfortunately, the Blazers would be victims to another officiating mistake.

Kobe was never called for the foul on Damian Lillard, so the Lakers improve to a 27-29 on the season, just two short of .500. Kobe scored a game-high 40 points on 15 of 23 shots. Dwight Howard, despite looking gingerly at times, snagged 16 boards and 19 points.

Blow Outs: There were a lot of guts spewed on Friday night, with 3 teams defeating their opponents by a margin of at least 25 points. After a beat down from Miami Heat on Thursday, the Chicago Bulls took care of the Charlotte Bobcats on the road. The Bulls had 37 assists on 42 field goals in the 30 point victory.

The Indiana Pacers have been cruising through their games in the first week back from the All-Star festivities. They have won their last two games by 30+ points, clinched the 2nd spot in the East, won 9 straight home games by double digits and went 10 of 14 from the three yesterday in the humiliation of the Detroit Pistons by 32 points.

Two Hands: Paul George has elastic limbs.

In spite of all of the injuries to their roster, the Boston Celtics have been able to hang onto a playoff spot. In the 25 point win against the Phoenix Suns, an unlikely hero, Jeff Green stepped up for 31 points on 11 of 14 shooting, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Block Party: With 17 blocks against the New Orleans Hornets, the Dallas Mavericks sets a new franchise record in the victory. Rookie Bernard James swatted 7 shots in 15 minutes to go with his 4 points and 6 rebounds. Down 1 with under 7 seconds to go, Vince Carter hits the three in Jason Smith's face to seal the deal. The bald man came off the bench for 22 points (7 of 13), and 9 rebounds to pass Gary Payton for 28th in the NBA All Time Scoring list. Dirk Nowitzski added 25 points (10 of 17) and 7 boards. Meanwhile, Ryan Anderson of the Hornets got 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting and 12 rebounds off the bench.

Wild, Wild, Russ: Russell Westbrook went off for a season high 37 points on 13 of 22 shots, 7 rebounds and 9 assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves kept the game close in the beginning with help from the bench, but Russ could not be stopped. Kevin Durant chipped in 27 points (9 of 17), 7 rebounds and 7 assists. To put things into perspective, even though Minnesota shot an above average 48 percent from the field, OKC trumped them with 58 percent and 64 percent from downtown.

New Uniform Gold: Up 10 in the 4th quarter, the San Antonio Spurs were poised win their 17th of their last 18 games. But the Golden State Warriors had other ideas. Led by Jarrett Jack, who came off the bench for 30 points on 11 of 22 shooting and 10 assists, the Warriors in the debut of their new T-Shirt jerseys, would comeback from the deficit and take it in overtime. David Lee was monstrous in this game, going off for 25 points (10 of 20), and 22 rebounds. The Spurs, known for their depth was lacking last night, with only 24 points from their second unit. Danny green, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan had to do all the heavy lifting, combining for 57 points to fall short of winning their 6th straight on the road.Fantasy Shoutouts: Brooklyn's Brook Lopez netted 27 points (13 of 21) and 6 rebounds in the loss to the Houston Rockets, who shot 16 of 30 from beyond the arc. Isiah Thomas of the Sacramento Kings, had 30 points (9 of 18), 6 rebounds and 9 assists against the streaking Atlanta Hawks. Rudy Gay scored 17 of his 32 points in the third quarter in the Raptors win over the New York Knicks. The newly acquired swing man finished with 11 of 23 shooting and 7 rebounds.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Just a game? I don't know what Kenny's cute kid is playing, but don't you tell anybody to calm down after beating a video game. If I finish first place in Mario Kart in a 150cc Star Cup, you let me celebrate. Do you know how hard Rainbow Road is, Kenny? One wrong move and you fall off into a black infinite space. Anyways, there are two more commercial featuring the Smiths, both of which share the common theme of bagging Kenny in some sort of way.

Days were better when new jack swing was cool. We, as a society should really embrace it again.

This was my favorite. Sorry, Kenny. You know you were crucial to your teams success.

Craig Sager has haunted our television screens with his outrageous suits for over a decade now. With each of them being more hideous than the other in the next broadcast, you might want to know how he came to put his outfits together.

By his standards, this is as plain as it gets. I don't think he can possibly top the ridiculous jacket he wore at the All-Star game. But good lord. You have to wonder if all this time he is just a victim of a undiagnosable medical condition that prevents him from learning how color coordination works.

Engulfed in Flames: The Miami Heat extends their winning streak to 9 in the win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. LeBron James led the way with 26 points on 11 of 15 shooting, 12 rebounds and 7 assists. The reigning MVP is shooting a career high 57 percent from the field in this season, and just looks hungry for another ring. Dwyane Wade added 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. The Bulls gave up a season high 27 turnovers in the loss, resulting in 24 points for their conference rival. The early mistakes completely took Chicago out of the game, as none of their players would finish with more than 14 points.

As great as I made LeBron James sound, he is still human (we are still doing tests to confirm) and will make a mistake or two.

Looks a little familiar.West Side Worries: Tony Parker didn't get MVP love from Charles Barkley for no reason. After dropping both games to the Clippers earlier in the season, the San Antonio Spurs point guard had 31 points (12 of 16), 7 assists and zero turnovers to guide his team to victory. The Spurs were on fire from everywhere on the field last night, knocking shots down at 59 percent from field and 47 percent from beyond the arc. Blake Griffin scored a team-high 17 points on 17 shots. San Antonio have now won 16 of their last 17 games.

Normally, there would be highlights from the games in this post, but there weren't anything spectacular last night.

Just for fun, in case you were wondering, Charles Barkley does not make an attractive woman. (Via: @cjzero)

Thursday, February 21, 2013

LeBron James did not just say "I make you smash on the rim," maybe a couple of years college would have done some good. Just joking Bron, please don't kill me. But if you do decide to do it anyway, please do it with your head band on, it's my last request. It is just weird to see you without the head gear.

Tyson Chandler was unexpectedly hilarious. Huge potential in the internet meme-ing business. Anytime you can sing "I'm too sexy," you do it, you can't let these opportunities fly by.

Poor Maurice, is he ever going to get back to James Harden's entourage? A man can only take another man in a wool sweater and sweat shorts for so long. Especially if that man is Kris Humphries. It also doesn't help with your entourage identity crisis when you are decked out in Kevin Durant gear. While helping the most hated man in the NBA time travel back to a few summers ago, so he could prevent a disastrous marriage. Get your act together Maurice, there are other bros out there.

This week on "The Price Is Right," Charles Barkley was invited down to the studio to participate in the game as part of the celebrity week. Usually contestants of the show try to guess the correct prices for items shown to win prizes. But Charles was there to win money for the charity of his choice. After following along with Charles, I finished with only one correct answer. Other than the dress, I overestimated everything. What did you guys get? Man, if a Kenny Smith card is worth $1.50, I wonder what I can get for my Luke Walton rookie card. At least $10 bucks, right? Those two championships with the Lakers has to mean for something.

D'oh. Poor Boshtrich forgot he was a flightless bird again. Dang, those hand looking wings, not only did you make Chris Bosh look sillier than usual, you got Rashard Lewis too. It's alright though, not everything is Bosh's fault, I am sure he got a good reason for that slip-up. Maybe the slightest glimpse of Zaza's face as the Georgian center turned around, threw our favorite Avian Humanoid off, totally reasonable.

Buzz Kill: Once again, Kyrie Irving had to drag his deadweight of a team to another rare victory. The All-Star sophomore went off for 20 of his total 35 points in the 4th quarter to take down the New Orleans Hornets. Irving shot 59 percent from the field, grabbed 5 boards and handed out 7 assists to "improve" the Cavs to a 17-37 record.

Frenemy: In the third reunion between ex-teammates, James Harden led his Houston Rockets over the Oklahoma City Thunder. In their last 2 meetings, the Rockets have lost both games to the Thunder by a margin of 20+ points. However history did not repeat itself last night, as the Beard explodes for a career high 46 points on 14 of 19 shooting (7 of 8 from three), 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Jeremy Lin added 29 points (12 of 22), 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Kevin Durant finished with a second career triple double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Russell Westbrook chipped in 28 points (8 of 20), 10 boards and 8 dimes.

Man on Fire: James Harden gets buckets.

Montenegrin Monster: Nikola Pekovic of the Minnesota Timberwolves had 27 points on 9 of 16 shooting and 18 rebounds in the victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers have now lost 7 of their last 8 road games. They are 1-8 on the road in the month of January and February.

Early Pace: The Indiana Pacers are now 4-1 against the top 2 teams of the East (Miami and NY) with this win against the New York Knicks. The Pacers got off to an early start, scoring a ridiculous 72 points in the first half. Paul George paved the way with 27 points (11 of 19) and 8 rebounds. The Knicks never once took the lead in this game. Carmelo's shooting slump continues as the leading man scores 15 points on 21 shots.

It is save to say that Mike Woodson wasn't too pleased with his team's effort. (Via: @TheKnicksWall)

Blocklyn: After a thrilling overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks looked to exact revenge on their home floor last night. Larry Sanders threw his 4th straight block party, rejecting 5 shots to go with his 13 rebounds and 12 points. Brandon Jenning led the way with 31 points on 12 of 18 shooting, and 11 assists. Despite giving up a 9-0 run in the last minute, the Nets somehow managed to hang to their lead to defeat the Bucks for a second consecutive time. Deron Williams scored team-high 23 points and dished out 8 assists.

Singed Feathers: Down 10 at the start of the 4th quarter, the Miami Heat went on a 40-17 point run in the last 12 minutes to comeback for a 13 point victory over the Atlanta Hawks. LeBron James's 24 points (8 of 15), 6 rebounds and 11 assists (8 of which were dished out in the 4th) snaps his 7 straight 30+ point game streak. Al Horford of the Hawks shot for 12 of 15 from the field for a game-high 27 points and also snagged 9 boards.

Historic Rivalry: The Los Angeles Lakers pulverized the Boston Celtics at home in first game since Jerry Buss's death. It was memorable night for Steve Nash, who passed Magic Johnson for 4th in the NBA for the most assists in history. Dwight Howard had 24 points (10 of 13) and 12 rebounds. On the Celtic's side, after going off for 23 points in the first half, Paul Pierce was rendered to only 3 points for the rest of the game.

Worst Dressed: Looks like Walt and Dwight decided to match, while Dwyane Wade cuts off the circulation in his lower body with his skinny camo pants.

R.I.P. Greg Monroe. You maybe gone, but never forgotten for your courageous attempt to make up for your own mistake. May your time in heaven be more pleasant than your past life. I am sorry you had to end your career as a Piston. You deserve better.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Chris Webber is the best. Can TNT make him a regular already? Aside from actually knowing what he is talking about, he has a beautiful singing voice, shouldn't that be enough to take Shaq off the air? Shaq is improving week by week, but his ego doesn't fit with the rest of the crew. Oh, and Happy 50th Birthday Chuck, hope they take Shaq off-air for your present.

Still needs to a be a real thing. LeBron, I know that you are great at basketball and all, but you need some serious help with your vibrato. You can't just keep worrying about your post game or the mid range jumper. There is life after basketball, you wouldn't want to sing to your grand kids in a flat pitch, they will never go to sleep. More stress = less hair, do you really want it to get any worse?

Flying is the worst. There is nothing I hate more than being trapped in a small space and forced to sit with random strangers. Strangers, who will constantly try to strike up conversations, to which I feel compelled to listen to just so they don't feel disrespected. The worst of all is putting up with babies that sit across from you, who at any unexpected moment will expel a stream of steaming hot stomach fluid onto your entire lower body from 5 feet away without a single regret in it's beady little evil eyes. What's worst is that there is absolutely nothing you can do about it, you can only smile at it's parents and pretend like the Satan's spawn didn't totally ruin your day. For the rest of the flight, you will have to continue to tolerate more crying. While the contents on your leg begins to crust, making you smell like as if you were wearing Brian Fantana's Sex Panther cologne, except there is no 60% chance of it working, only 100% guaranteed stank. This experience may or many not have happened me, but I just want to let you know that I am very familiar with flying and I am more than qualified to "defend" Nick Young.

The above photo was taken by Kwame Brown, a member of the Philadelphia 76ers (yes, he is still in the NBA) and teammate of Nick Young. What was most striking was not the one-piece pajama that Swaggy P was wearing, but the caption of the photo created by Mr. Brown.

"This clown wearing a onezy talking about swag"

Nick Young, for those of you that are unaware, goes by the nickname of "Swaggy P," he's been known to be a wild dresser and owning a tattoo on his left arm that reads "In Swag We Trust." Although I can not comment on his questionable life decisions, I do know that on a flight, even if you are a NBA player riding first class, the most important rule is to make yourself comfortable. And if Nick is comfortable in his incredible Superman onesie, than it is none of your business, Kwame. Who are you to give criticize anybody anyway, you ARE the former number 1 pick that never lived up to expectations and according to Kobe, was scared of the ball. Stop hating.

Many of you guys might not know this, but Patty Mills, the Australian gunner of the San Antonio Spurs has quite a name for himself among the Spurs community. While most NBA fans are familiar with the new phenomenon of Robert Sacre's Yosemite Sam guns and karate chops on the Lakers' sideline, or Kent Bazemore's general craziness on the Golden State Warriors bench. Patty possesses an unique skill that sets himself apart from the rest and no, it's not flopping. He doesn't do any dance moves or mock opponents, he only sticks to what he is great at and it is towel waving. He's been the unofficial undisputed king of the towel wave for quite some time now, unfortunately due to his career in smaller markets, his talents have not been recognized by the general audience on a national stage.

However, starting from today, that will change. Because first, you will probably never unsee it again. Second, the man has spent his own time making up names for each variation of his towel wave. You will sit there, stare at the corner of the TV and dissect every one of them. He deserves it. Not for the pirate though, not sure what he is trying to accomplish there.

It's the start of the second of half of the season, every game from now on changes your playoff odds, and eliminates the weak.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Ice Cold Joe: Joe Johnson has done it again. Down 3, with less than 7 seconds in regulation to play, Deron Williams finds Joe Johnson at the top of the key for the tie breaker. Where Joe will go on to hit another last second basket to give the fans in Brooklyn the win. Joe had 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting, Deron and Brook both added 19 of their own. Brandon Jennings is still trying to prove his max-deal contract worth, as he finished with 34 points (13 of 26), 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

Rookie Watch: Bradley Beal has continued to to be factor in the latest stretch of games for the Wizards. He had 25 points on 9 of 19 shooting in the loss to the Toronto Raptors. Newly acquired Rudy Gay remains his inefficient self, going for 24 points on 25 attempts. His teammate, DeMar DeRozan also chipped in 24 points but on a more efficient 9 of 18. John Wall was a non-factor in this game, registering only 9 points on a horrible 1 of 12 and 7 turnovers.

Pumped:Jonas Valaciunas can't stand that Nene doesn't have a last name.

End of the Road: Two lottery bound teams of the East went at each other last night. The result was a blowout victory by the Charlotte Bobcats, which apparently is possible Gerald Henderson opened up the first quarter with 14 of his total 24 points, finishing 8 of 16 from the field and 10 boards. Byron Mullens added 20 points (8 of 17) and 12 rebounds to end the Cats' 7 game losing streak on the road. Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic scored a team high 18 points (9 of 16) and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Back Home: In his first return to Detroit, Tayshaun Prince and his new Memphis Grizzlies teammates took out the Pistons, outscoring them 62 to 30 in the second and third quarter. Zach Randolph led the way with 15 points (6 of 11) and 10 rebounds, while no Piston put up more than 13 points.

Boards: First time All-Star Joakim Noah proved his worth with 15 points (6 of 11), 17 rebounds and 5 assists. Luol Deng had a game-high 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting and 5 rebounds. The rookie with one eyebrow got 15 points (6 of 13) and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Brow-ness: Anthony Davis got word that the he will be a Pelican next year, so he started working his wing-span.

Gold Rush: The Denver Nuggets improved to 23-3 at home with the victory over the depleted Boston Celtics. Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari both dropped 26 points on the men in green, who only had Jeff Green's 20 points to retaliate. Paul Pierce shot a horrendous 2 of 14 from the floor and fouled out with 6 seconds left to go.

Cold Streak: The slump continues for the Golden State Warriors as they fall to a six game losing streak with this loss to Utah. Stephen Curry did all he could with 29 points (12 of 22), 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Giant person, Al Jefferson scored 24 points (11 of 18) and 5 boards for the Jazz.

Scorched: Despite the Portland Trail Blazers' effort, their starting group that combined for 91 of the team's total 98 points were outmatched by the Suns' balanced scoring. Goran Dragic dished out 10 of his career high 18 assists in the first quarter to go with his 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting.

Old Timers: The San Antonio Spurs extended their winning streak to 4 after defeating the Sacramento Kings at the Sleep Train Arena. Tony Parker led the way with 30 points (10 of 20) and 11 assists. Danny Green, the fiend from three went for 21 points, shooting 5 of 8 from downtown. King's Isiah Thomas continues to thrive in his new starting spot, he got 22 points (6 of 10) to prove that height is not an issue.

Highlights

Little Man Move: Isiah Thomas squeaks by the forest of the San Antonio Spurs.

Oh Wizards, when are you ever going to stop being knuckleheads. How do you expect us to believe that the team is making a turn for the better when you can't even get standard basketball game tools working. According to the video and members of the media, the staff of the Verizon Center could not get Jumbotron working in time for the game. Washington had to settle for an old school center court scoreboard, with the shot clock on the ground and air horns for any game stoppages.